I got an Elektra Beckum 315 bandsaw a little while ago, came as a job lot and the bandsaw has had a fairly hard life, lots of surface rust on the casing and paint etc. Not sure where it had lived previously! Anyhow it works well but this lower bearing has seen better days. I can’t find a new one to buy online? Struggling and wondered if someone could point me to a company? I know you can get upgrade kits which look lovely but at £60-70 they’re beyond my budget and I just want to get it working properly as is.

NEVER EVER buy replacement bearings from the machine manufacturers as spare parts. They will be vastly over priced.Virtually very manufacturer uses standard size bearings as bought in parts. Bearing manufacture is a specialist business and woodworking machine makers are not going to make their own.To find a replacement bearing, measure the Bore, the OD and the width.If you measure in millimetres and the numbers are coming out at non integral figures convert to fractional inches and the number should become more sensible.Search on ebay with "bearing" and the three dimensions in any order. This will lead you to the bearing code such as 6003 say. bearing with metal shields over the balls will have a suffix 2Z or ZZ. Ones with rubber seals which are generally best for woodworking machines have suffixes of 2R or RR.

NEVER EVER buy replacement bearings from the machine manufacturers as spare parts. They will be vastly over priced.Virtually very manufacturer uses standard size bearings as bought in parts. Bearing manufacture is a specialist business and woodworking machine makers are not going to make their own.To find a replacement bearing, measure the Bore, the OD and the width.If you measure in millimetres and the numbers are coming out at non integral figures convert to fractional inches and the number should become more sensible.Search on ebay with "bearing" and the three dimensions in any order. This will lead you to the bearing code such as 6003 say. bearing with metal shields over the balls will have a suffix 2Z or ZZ. Ones with rubber seals which are generally best for woodworking machines have suffixes of 2R or RR.

A great tip I was given when replacing some bearings was to place the shaft in the freezer overnight & keep the bearing somewhere warm, I was a tad sceptical but in the morning the two parts went together a breeze.

Doug wrote:A great tip I was given when replacing some bearings was to place the shaft in the freezer overnight & keep the bearing somewhere warm, I was a tad sceptical but in the morning the two parts went together a breeze.

An often used dodge to get bearings into old British bike engines without hitting them, one of my mates used to put the crank cases of his triumph in the dishwasher, while his wife as out.

Here is the bearing from my 315. It's 626Z and they are easy to get hold of. It's just pressed on the shaft, easy to change with a socket to support the bearing while using a machine screw to push the shaft out in a vice.

Roller bearings aren't designed to be used like that but sadly it's a poor design used by several manufacturers. If you look at the Axminster and newer Record Power bandsaws they have a properly orientated rear bearing.